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Is there an audiophile 1/8" to 1/8" cable?
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I would not call a TRS connector audiophile approved because you are combining the grounds of the Left and Right channels with such a connector.
Now, if you are asking if "audiophile" cable manufacturers make such cables, that is a different question.
But arent the L and R channel grounds/shields of unbalanced outputs tied together internally anyway?
I had a question about crosstalk in headphones triggered by viewing numerous mods to headphone cabling. Nearly all of the better headphone mods will use 4 wires to 4 connections, not 4 wires to 3 connections (TRS, though some even cut it down to 3 wires to 3 connections -- one continuous negative or ground wire). My question is linked below and you can read Steve's reply.
In another thread (the Head forum at AA), he gave this reply to a similar question:
"Actually most all of the crosstalk is due to the common ground contact resistance of the TRS plug/jack combination.
In other words, even single-ended output amplifiers benefit from a 4 pin XLR with the common ground accomplished via a good low resistance solder connection inside the chassis."
Yes, the TRS connector works, but...
Do you seek the cable for portable use, or for a fixed location?
It's for portable use. I'm curious why you ask?
If for portable use, the cable should be quite flexible, but for a fixed location a stiffer cable can be selected -- as to my question, I had a particular DIY build in mind that's not ideal for portable use. What exactly is the application? I take it the cable will not be used to drive headphones, but rather send the stereo signal to another device. What length do you require, and what is your maximum price point?
The cable will go between a Wavelength Proton USB DAC and Sound Matters foxLv2 speakers. The length could be .5 or 1 meter. I guess I'd like to spend less than $100 on the cable but I could spend a little more if necessary. The cable will be frequently folded up and unfolded.
Edits: 02/02/12 02/02/12
Have you considered using the line-level rca outputs of the DAC instead of the 1/8" headphone output jack of the DAC to connect it to the powered speakers input (via an interconnect cable with rca plugs at one end, and a 1/8" mini-plug at the other)? However, I don't know if the special software driven analog volume control function will work for the line-level rca outputs of the DAC, nor if the input impedance of the powered speakers 1/8" stereo input is suitable for a line-level signal source (or if there's enough gain for that matter). In any event, while I have no direct experience of them, AudioQuest's Golden Gate Interconnects have piqued my interest as a modest-cost level option:
The Proton's volume control does in fact work via the RCA plugs (I plug the Proton directly into my Bryston amp) so I should be looking into a cable like that. Is this the way to go?
http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=AQGG3R%20%20%20%20.6
Any other suggestions?
You can always make your own. Canare Quad is a good cable and works well for the application. You can spend whatever you like on a pair of RCA plugs and a 3.5mm (1/8") TRS plug plus whatever you wish to dress the cable with if you want it to look purdy. The Canare comes in a smaller diameter as well. Both are very flexible, the mini even moreso.
That link to the AudioQuest Golden Gate Interconnect cable would be correct.
Another option would be to obtain a 3.5mm stereo mini-plug to stereo rca jacks adapter and use a pair of conventional high-quality rca interconnect cables in order to implement separate cables for right and left channels to avoid potential crosstalk. A bit more bulky to carry around, though. If the combined diameter is not too large, a pair of rca interconnect cables may be re-terminated with a 3.5mm stereo mini-plug that can accommodate larger diameter cables (such as those from Canare and Valab).
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=104&cp_id=10429&cs_id=1042902&p_id=7189&seq=1&format=2
http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=AQMINI
http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=AQBMII&variation=1
I do think I'd like to get an all-in-one cable. Any other suggestions for RCA-> 1/8" besides AudioQuest's Golden Gate?
The Cardas Fat Pipe iLink is what I would opt for -- I've found nothing but high praise via Google. See link:
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